Man of the People
' |image= |series= |production= 40276-229 |producer(s)= |story= |script= Frank Abatemarco |director= Winrich Kolbe |imdbref=tt0708746 |guests=Chip Lucia as Ves Alkar, Patti Yasutake as Alyssa Ogawa, George D. Wallace as- Simons, Lucy Boryer as Janeway, Susan French as Sev Maylor, Rick Scarry as Jarth, Stephanie Erb as Liva, J.P. Hubbell as Ensign, Majel Barrett as Computer Voice |previous_production=Realm of Fear |next_production=Relics |episode=TNG S06E03 |airdate= 5 October 1992 |previous_release=Realm of Fear |next_release=Relics |story_date(s)=Stardate 46071.6 |previous_story=Realm of Fear |next_story=Relics }} =Summary= The Enterprise comes to the aid of a Federation transport under attack by two ships, saving its crew and passenger, Lumerian ambassador Ramid Ves Alkar. Starfleet orders the Enterprise to transport Alkar the rest of the way to the Rekag/Cironi system, where he is to mediate negotiations between the two planets. Alkar is accompanied by an old woman named Sev Maylor whom he identifies as his mother. Counselor Troi and Alkar form a friendship during transport, but this causes Maylor to become bitterly hostile towards Troi. Soon, Maylor succumbs to some unknown condition and dies; Alkar appears unmoved by the loss but still requests a funeral ceremony along with Troi, having them touch "funeral stones" as part of the process. Dr. Crusher requests to autopsy the body due to high levels of neurotransmitter residue, but Alkar denies it, asserting it would violate Lumerian custom. As the Enterprise continues, Troi starts acting in an increasingly irritable and jealous manner initiated when Alkar refused her seducing advances. Troi attempts to seduce other members of the crew, putting her relationship with Commander Riker at odds. Troi also shows signs of advanced aging. When they arrive at Cironia, Troi becomes even angrier when she discovers Alkar working with Liva, another female in Alkar's delegation that had already arrived on the planet. After Alkar refused to let Troi come with him to the planet, Troi attempts to attack him with a knife, but security restrains her and takes her to Sick Bay. The visibly aged Troi shows similar high levels of neurotransmitter residue as Dr. Crusher found in Maylor's body, and with this new evidence, Picard allows her to perform the autopsy on Maylor. Dr. Crusher finds that the body is that of a thirty-year-old woman, and Maylor had no genetic relation with Alkar. Picard confronts Alkar on the planet about this finding. Alkar reveals to Picard that he has the ability to channel his negative emotions into another person, a "receptacle", which allows him to be clear-minded and level-headed as a negotiator. Alkar is aware this causes accelerated aging and death of the receptacles within a few years, and had not foreseen Troi's rapid symptoms when he chose her as his next receptacle. With Alkar showing no remorse for his actions, Picard and Dr. Crusher devise a means to rescue Troi. Dr. Crusher induces deathlike symptoms in Troi, which breaks the link with Alkar. Alkar returns to the ship to acknowledge Troi's death, and then seeks out Liva, looking to make her the next receptacle. Just as Alkar starts the process, Dr. Crusher revives Troi and purges the neurotransmitter residue from her system; this has an immediate impact on Alkar as he tries to finish the channeling ritual. Picard has Liva beamed out of Alkar's quarters, leaving the man alone to suffer from years of repressed emotions. He ages quickly and dies. Troi is able to make a full recovery, gaining her former youthful appearance and her original personality. =Errors and Explanations= Plot Oversights # Troi being asked to greet Alkar and his 'mother'. She is part of the senior staff.' Besides, they have just been rescued from a ship that has been attacked, meaning it would be prudent for them to meet the counsellor. # After the thwarted attempt to beam Alkar back, Worf points out the planet's security field will already be back in place, making any attempt to beam back Alkar impossible. Why don't they try anyway. Any such attempt could be regarded as abduction, and possibly jeopardise the peace initiative. Nit Central # Túrin on Thursday, August 02, 2001 - 9:29 pm: I guess adoption doesn't exist in the 24th century. Crusher determines that because the old woman and villain share no DNA, he must have been lying about her being his mother. This is in fact what happened, but how does Crusher know he just wasn't adopted? Why does she assume he must be lying? Any adoption would most likely have been recorded. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 5:06 am: There are references to Rekag, and to Seronia and to Rekag-Seronia. So which is the true name of the planet or is there more than one planet? Perhaps Rekag-Seronia refers to the wider area. # Why does Dr. Crusher need Geordi's help to get the bio-filter log? As Chief Medical Officer of the ship shouldn't she just be able to access it on the Sick Bay monitor? If not, then someone wasn't thinking when they designed this system. It's probably classified as part ot the engineering division remit. # So why didn't anyone catch on to what Alkar was doing before this? Didn't anyone find it suspicious that all these old looking, dead, young women had him in common? They probably didn't have enough evidence and/or authority to stop him. # LUIGI NOVI on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 12:35 am: ''In Acts 1 and 2 of this episode, Troi does crew evaluations with Riker. Even if someday there were large starships with large crews and counselors on board, a counselor would never be allowed to participate in crew evaluations, because her intimate knowledge of crew members’ deepest fears and flaws could potentially cause her to use that knowledge in making her evaluations, causing a clear conflict of interest. A crewman’s evaluation would be done by their immediate supervisor, or a regional supervisor. '''Perhaps Starfleet has different rules, and has a requirement for a counselor to participate in evaluations, as their knowledge of crew members’ deepest fears and flaws would provide a full picture of the crewmember's state of mind.' # Sam on Friday, January 04, 2008 - 1:44 pm: What I always wonder about episodes like this, is what do they tell people afterwards? There's a thousand people on this ship, a bunch of rumours are going to be flying around for weeks after this (and Troi's Ensign is going to be boasting to his mates very loudly about his conquest, I'm sure!). Do they issue a shipwide announcement about what happened? Otherwise all those people in Ten Forward are going to be looking down their noses for weeks! And no-one's going to want her counselling services after her behaviour to Janeway! And who's going to believe it? "oh, she was being used as a psychic dump for negative energy by an ambassador? Likely story!" Starfleet personnel are professionals! =Sources= Category:Episodes Category:The Next Generation